CODE FREEZE

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Updated 21st November: Global End-Year Change Freeze Calendar
Date
07 Nov 2006, 12:52 CET Category

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Department
IT
Location
Global
Services IT Global Change & Configuration Management
End-Year Change Freeze Calendar
This communication is to give awareness to the End-Year Change Freeze periods that will be in place in the Bank throughout the regions around the end of this calendar year.
The Annual IT End-Year Change Freeze period will be effective for all IT production infrastructure and/or applications, except in emergency situations. All changes to software, hardware, communications and networks regardless of platform, are prohibited during the periods detailed below.
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Does this ring a bell in your ears?

Come December and the worst awaits you. Am mighty sure that all of us (techies especially) would have heard abt this period – simply put, it is that period of the year during which no any changes should be implemented be it hardware or software related. This is primarily to ensure that none of the company's year end reportings get impacted due to any changes.

It’s also that time of the year when one faces the ultimate test of his/her endurance and patience. It is that time of the year when you are sworn into a period of forced rumination. It is that time of the year to display your prowess of being a fine actor, to pretend and display your extraordinary talent of being busy and stressed up – not that you were less busy or stressed during the remaining months.

You suddenly develop an eye for detail and begin to notice those little things. How you realize that the chair that you been parking yourself into for the last 11 months suddenly appears to be uncomfortable. How you wish that the back rest was a bit higher to enable you to have that after lunch snooze. It’s amazing how you now think that the walls of your office could have been painted a bit brighter, not that it would add any brightness to your work. I could go on endlessly but would stop at that.

That sense of being useless suddenly dawns upon you. You begin to think and ruminate as to what you are doing sitting here when something else is waiting beyond those swanky glass panes and walls. You have this instant pump to just break free and rush out into the wide wide world and do something worthwhile. You begin to scratch and introspect on the real purpose of your existence, you get the feeling that you are here for a purpose and that you need to fulfill it.

It was sometime during this period last year when I moved into this team called Change Management after having completed a spell of two long years in Operations. People familiar with an operational role would know that it is one power packed role, where you suddenly realize all the hidden energy and capacity within you to stretch into inhuman working conditions. My role within Change Management was a more toned down one. After the maddening rush rush of operations this was more of a project related role. You work when you have projects, else you know the story. Unfortunately I was greeted with Code Freeze well within a month of my joining the new role to add to my vexation.

Desperate times lead to desperate measures. I remember that one afternoon when I could stand it no more. My boss’s absence that day added to my encouragement to do something that once upon a time I couldn’t dare imagine. Readers of the popular fiction “Swami and Friends” would recollect that incident when Swami was being whipped mercilessly and in a sudden urge of rebellion decided to take control. He stomped out of the class much to the horror of everyone. Unfortunately in my case there was no one to cheer and laude my heroic attempt to do the same. I decided to call it quits (only for that day) and decided to give my job a hike.

But then on a positive front, it is that period of the year when the best flows out of you. It is an opportune period to sit down and list all the things that you would have wanted to do but couldn’t because of your work toll. Starting from regaining contact with your friends and family to learning how to strum a guitar to attending art workshops to pursue your interests in Bharatnatyam or to even starting a theatre group (remember our Bardy). Unfortunately the mad monkey mind decides to take the other route and helps us cozily settle into a mood of solemn and self pity, so much so it becomes nearly impossible to come out of it. No amount of counseling helps and sometimes your friends begin to look at you as a burden to handle.

I didn’t have any intentions to end in on a philosophical note because to tell you the truth I was never motivated to take that opportunity. But then things look different this year, maybe because I am now married, maybe because I have now matured to handle the situation (I still have my doubts on the same) and maybe because I have my blog spot to pen all my thoughts into and most importantly I have you guys and gals to read this and to feel associated and keep me going with our exchange of comments.

So what are you waiting for??? Go ahead and take a splurge!!!